Rotary barking machine



ROTARY BARKING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fig./

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I a 4 a lllllilllilml-l Elry 0. Crank 0 Q n n INVENTOR.

swam-fig 6 By zM E. D. CRANK ROTARY BARKING MACHINE July 5, 1955 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1952 E Iry D. Crank INVENTOR BY and?Atlarnq:

July 5, 1955 E, D, CRANK 2,712,329

ROTARY BARKING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 c N N N 3 0m m g O 1; a: v m S k a) 5 o 8 E 3 7 Q m v 8 8 Q o m :2 a E 6' Elry D.Crank INVENTOR.

BY (M United States PatentOfifice 2,712,329 Patented July 5, 19552,712,329 ROTARY BARKING MACHINE Ell-y D. Crank, Buckner, Ark.Application March 6, 1952, Serial No. 275,078 9 Claims. (Cl. 144-408)sawing them into lumber to supply the paper industry with pulp wood ifthe bark could be economically removed.

moving bark from logs by other methods, the other logs for use in thepulp and paper industry.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved machinefor removing bark from logs, said machine being so designed as toaccommodate logs of debarked.

Another object of this invention is to provide an im proved machine fortion without the loss of any of the pulp wood of the log, said machineperforming the debarking process at a cost which is economicallyfeasible log engaging brushes mounted therein for scraping said log andremoving bark therefrom, said debarking brushes be hereinafter describedin detail in the specification,

in the debarking head of the barking machine;

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the barking means;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the barking machine of Figure 1and showing a log prior to its entrance in the debarking head of themachine, the specific mounting for a front trackway for guiding andbracing the front of the frame being clearly shown;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view through thedebarking head of the barking machine and taken substantially upon theplane indicated by the Section line 44 of Figure 2, the specificrelationship cated by the section line 66 of Figure 1 and showing themanner in which the frame is pivotally mounted on a fulcrum carried bysaid wheeled carriage;

Figure 7 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a log engagingdebarking device and its associated holder; and,

' being adapted for engagement with the front end of the invention. Thebarking machine includes a flat carriage 10 having a plurality of wheels12 supporting same from a trackway 14. It will be understood that thecarriage @10 is free to move along said trackway 14. Located having oneapex thereof at the upper end of each of the triangular support members.Pivotally supported ;on the support members 16 forming the fulcrum, in ain more detail hereinafter. The forward end of the frame 18 is guidedand braced by a front trackway which is referred to in general by thereference numeral 26.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 6 in detail, it will be seen that thetriangular support members 16 forming the fulcrum for the frame 18 havehorizontally aligned openings 23 adiacent the upper end thereof in whichare mounted bearings 30. Extending between and rotatably mounted withinthe bearings 3b is a pivot shaft 32 to which are secured a pair ofL-shaped support membersv34. One flange of each of the L-shaped supportmembers is mounted on the pivot shaft 32 and the other flange thereof issecured to the underside of the frame 2%. in view of the foregoing, itwill be seen that the frame 13 is readily mounted for pivotal movementwith respect to the support members 16 and the carriage 10 to which theyare secured.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 in particular, it will be seen that theframe 18 includes a generally L-shaped frame member 36 which isgenerally rectangular in cross-section and forms the rear and centerportion of the frame 18. The frame 36 has a centrally located projectingportion 33 on the front end thereof to which is secured the debarliinghead 22. The debarking head 22 includes a housing 4i having spacedL-shaped support members 42 secured to the rear outer surface thereof,one flange of each of the L-shaped support members ll being disposed oneach side of the projecting portion 33 and secured thereto by bolts 44.Extending from the front end of the housing & and secured to the fronttrackway in a special manner, which will be referred to in more detailhereinafter, is a front supporting arm 46.

Rotatably mounted within the housing it is a sleeve d3 which has mountedon one outer end thereof a drive sprocket Ell. The power unit 29 is alsoprovided with a drive sprocset 52, and a drive chain 54 is entrainedover the sprockets 59 and 52 in order that the sleeve may be rotated bythe power unit 29.

Referring now to Figures 3, 5 and 8 in particular, it will be seen thatthe front trackway 26 includes a generally channel shaped column 56, thechannel shaped column 56 having inturned wing flanges whereby it issubstantially C-shaped. Slidably mounted within the upper portion of thecolumn 56 is a connecting block 53 which has generally the same crosssection as the interior of the G-shaped column 56 and is solid. Theconnecting block 53 has a curved recess 6%) in the outer side wallthereof in alignment with the space between the wing flanges of thecolumn 56. As is best illustrated in Figure 2, the front supporting arm46 of the frame 18 has a curved forward end which is fitted within thecurve recess 69 of the connecting block 58.

Referring now to Figure 3 in particular, it will be seen that the bottomend of the column 56 has mounted therein a second connecting block 62which is rigidly secured to the column 56 and has a rounded lower endportion. The connecting block 62 is rotatably mounted on a pivot shaft6% extending between and supported by a pair of spaced L-shaped mountingbrackets 66 carried by the carriage ill. ln-order that the column 56 maybe urged into engagement with the front sup arm 4-6 the pivot shaft 64has mounted thereon a spiral spring which has its end portions '70engaging the upper surface of the carriage and which has theintermediate portion '72 engaging the connecting block and urging thecolumn 56 about the pivot shaft 64. in order that the column 56 may besuitably braced, the pivot shaft 64 has mounted thereon exterlorly ofthe mounting bracket 66 a pair of diagonal braces '74 which have theirupper ends secured to the column 56 by conventional bolts '76. in orderthat the braces 7'4, the mounting brackets 66, the spring 68 and theconnecting block as may be secured onto the pivot shaft 64, the ends ofthe pivot shaft are enlarged as at 77.

Due to the novel connection between the front trackway 26 and thecarriage i and the debarking head 22, the debarking head may be pivotedabout the fulcrum formed by the supporting member 16 and remaincontinuously guided and braced by the front traclcway 26. it will beunderstood that the front trackway 26 does not apply vertical pressureto the debarking head 22, but braces the head against forces actingaxially of the head and tending to cause skewing of the frame or lateralmovement of the head with respect to the carriage 19.

Referring now to Figure 4- in particular, it will be seen that thehousing is in the form of an annular ring which is U-shaped incross-section and has mounted therein for rotation with respect theretothe sleeve 48. The housing ll includes a web portion 78 and side flangeportions 8% with circumferentially spaced bolts 82 extending between andsecured to the side flanges 80. Mounted on each of the bolts 32 withinthe house 49 are a pair of outer spacer sleeves 84 and an inner spacersleeve 86. Mounted on the bolt 82 between the outer spacer sleeves 84and the inner spacer sleeve 86 is a pair of bearings 88 whose outerraces are in spaced parallel relation and engage the outer surface ofthe sleeve 43. in order that the position of the sleeve it with respectto the housing 56 may be maintained, the sleeve is provided with a pairof spaced annular flanges 9i and 92 which engage the opposite outersurfaces of the fiange portions of the housing 4%. In order that thelogs passed through the sleeve 43 may be debarked, the sleeve 48 isprovided with a plurality of mounting ears 94 between which are holders96 pivotally mounted on chordal axes, said holders 96 having pivot pins98 extending from opposite sides thereof and engaging in apertures inthe mounting ears 94. Disposed within each holder 96 is a debarkingbrush 1620 which is retained within its respective holder by a setscrew102. It will be understood that the debarking brushes 1% are formed ofshort lengths of wire cables with ends intended to engage the bark ofthe logs passed through sleeve'48' and remove bark therefrom. In orderthat the holders 96 and their respective debarking brushes 100 may beretained generally at an angle normal to the log disposed within thesleeve 48, the holder 96 is provided with a pair of spaced mounting ears1694 to which are pivotally secured a pin 1%. The opposite end of thepin 106 is disposed within a bracket 1% and a compressible coil springis mounted on the pin 1% and engages against the bracket 108 and theholder 96.

As is best illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, it willbe seen that the brushholders 96 and the debarking brushes are mounted in circumferentiallyextending sets of equal length brushes, the sets being spacedlongitudinally of the sleeve 43, and the brushes of each set beingcircumferentially out of phase with respect to the brushes of the othersets so as to provide room for the brushes and their associated brushholders to pivot outwardly toward the sleeve 48. It will also be notedthat, as between the different sets, the brushes lull are of differentlengths so as to provide for debarking logs of various diameters. When asmall diameter log is passed through the sleeve 48, only the longerbrushes ofthe numerous brushes mounted within the sleeve 48 engage thelog and removes the bark from same. When a larger diameter log is passedthrough the sleeve 48, the longer brushes 100 are pivoted towards thesleeve 48 against the resistance of the coil springs 11f) mounted on thepins 1% and are thus moved to a position out of engagement with the barkof the log. When the longer brushes 1% are in this position the shorterbrushes 109 will remove the bark from the log.

Referring now to Figure l in particular, it will be seen that a log 112is mounted on a carriage 114 which isprovided with wheels 116 and rollsalong a track 126. The carriage lld is of a conventional typeand neednotbe described in detail other than the fact that it is utilized toconvey the log 112 into the The sleeve 48 is rotated by the drive unit26 and the brushes 100 clean the bark from the log 112. It will beunderstood that the log 112 is pushed through the sleeve 48 by thecarriage 114 and comes out the other end of the sleeve and is receivedby some conventional supporting means (not shown). Since the log 112 isnot necessarily straight, but may be bent both upwardly and sideways,

and pivotally connected by a shackle 142 to a mounting bracket 122carried by the frame 18 adjacent the rear of the L-shaped frame portion36. The cylinder 24 is a two Way cylinder and has connected thereto hoselines 124 and 126. The hose lines 124 and 126 are connected to apressure tank 130 carried by the L-shaped frame portion 36. Also mountedon L-shaped frame 36 is a compressor 132 which is connected to thepressure tank 130 by a line 128. The compressor 132 has a pulley 134 onone end thereof in alignment with a pulley 136 mounted on the forwardend of the power unit 20. A belt 138 is entrained over, and connects,the pulleys 134 and 136. While it has not been illustrated, the cylinder24 is provided with a conventional valve structure whereby the ing thecarriage 16 along the trackway 14 and by utilizing the cylinder 24 topivot the frame 18.

It will be understood that the pressure of the brushes 100 with respectto the log 112 is only such that the bark will be removed from the log112 and that the pulp wood Will not be damaged.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A log debarking head comprising a horizontally disposed sleevemounted for rotation on a longitudinal axis, a plurality of debarkingbrushes pivotally mounted on the inner periphery of said sleeve onchordal axes transverse to the longitudinal axis of rotation thereof forengagement With a log being moved longitudinally into said debarkinghead, said debarking brushes each including a brush holder, a wire brushremovably mounted in said brush holder, said brush holder being springurged into a posinormal to the axis of a log to be debarked.

2. A log debarking head comprising a horizontally disa log being movedlongitudinally into said debarking head, said debarking brushes beingmounted in circumferenlocated circumferentially out of phase relative tothe brushes of the other sets.

3. A log debarking head as set forth in claim 2 wherein said brushes arestiff wire cables of varying lengths for debarking logs of varyingdiameters.

4. A debarking machine comprising a track mounted carriage, a fulcrummounted on and near the center of means carried at the rear of saidcarriage and connected to said frame for tilting same.

6. A debarking machine comprising a track mounted means being powered bythe first mentioned means.

7. A debarking machine comprising a wheeled carriage movable forwardlyor rearwardly, a fulcrum mounted on and near the center of saidcarriage, a frame overlying said carriage and pivotally mounted on saidfulcrum way towards said frame to maintain said slidable means inengagement with the front end of said frame.

8. A debarking machine comprising a track mounted with said frame, and asleeve rotatably mounted in said housing, a front guideway carried bysaid carriage and engaging said head to prevent skewing of said frameand to restrain said head against transverse movement with respect tosaid carriage, and means mounted on said frame rearwardly of saidfulcrum for rotating the sleeve of said debarking head.

9. A log debarking head comprising a horizontally disposed sleevemounted for rotation on a longitudinal axis, a plurality of debarl-iingbrushes pivotally mounted on the inner periphery of said sleeve onchordal axes transverse to the longitudinal engagement With a log beingmoved longitudinally into said debarking head, said debarking brusheseach including a brush holder, a wire brush removably mounted in saidbrush holder, said brush holder being: spring urged into a positionnormal to the longitudinal axis of sleeve to which it is attached, saiddebarking brushes being mounted in circurnferentially extending sets ofequal length brushes, the sets being spaced axially, the brushes axis ofrotation thereof for References Cited in the tile of this patent UNXTEDSTATES PATENTS 1,176,452 Hubbell Mar. 21, 1916 1,440,642 Whalley Dec.26, 1922 2,0i5,936 Hokonson Oct. 1, 1935 2,112,825 Converse et a1 Apr.5, 1938 2,147,682 Vroom Feb. 21, 1939 2,401,500 Ockten June 4, 1946FOREIGN PATENTS 155,313 Germany Nov, 9, 1904 534.274 Germany Sept. 24,1931

